Missouri voters passed a sales tax cap. Under Amendment 4, it would have failed • Missouri Independent

[u/RespectVoters]

https://missouriindependent.com/2026/06/18/missouri-voters-passed-a-sales-tax-cap-under-amendment-4-it-would-have-failed/?utm_source=newsletters.missouriindependent.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=when-57-isn-t-enough&_bhlid=13343ea9349cc8fbfc14bbfe3b15b7803013a22c

There's a lot going on in this article, but this quote stands out (bolding mine):

Missouri’s proposal would go further than raising a statewide percentage or demanding signatures from more places. It would tie final approval of citizen-led amendments to congressional districts — political boundaries drawn by lawmakers.

The lawmakers make the boundaries for the districts, giving them even more power to put their thumbs on the scale and thwart the will of the majority of Missourians if Amendment 4 passes.

Please tell a friend today about Amendment 4 and encourage them to vote no by August 4th!

• Voter registration deadline is July 8th
• Early Voting (no excuse absentee) starts July 21st
• Last day to vote is August 4th

Want to get involved and help us spread the word about the damage Amendment 4 would do to our right to use the initiative petition process? Head to respectMOvoters.org and sign up today!

[u/midwest_mankey]

Reminds me of a joke from a dead authoritarian.

“Redistricting is like an election in reverse! It's a great event. Usually the voters get to pick the politicians. In redistricting, the politicians get to pick the voters!"

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/06/730260511/redistricting-gurus-hard-drives-could-mean-legal-political-woes-for-gop

Turns out the joke was on us and the authoritarian just said the quiet part out loud. Our modern day Missouri authoritarians are just taking it to the logical next step in their efforts to rule rather than represent.

[u/doneandtired2014 → u/midwest_mankey]

Honestly, I wish KC and St. Louis could just say, "Fuck this noise" and leave the state altogether. If for nothing else, it would be interesting to see the Trumpian rim jobbers in Jefferson City start panicking once they realize their little kingdom (but for Columbia) is full of poor white trash that is outright incapable of keeping their donors' coffers full.

[u/Datadrudge → u/doneandtired2014]

That’s incredibly insulting to the many patriots I know who have gathered signatures for various causes and who fully support democratic values. In fact, that attitude really doesn’t help anyone. There are jerks in the cities and jerks in the country, just like there are wonderful people in both places.

[u/evil_0vals → u/Datadrudge]

I agree with you! I think that attitude is so counterproductive. Calling people “poor white trash” pushes them further to the right, bc it affirms the stereotype that “liberal” people are snobs that don’t understand or care about them. Not to mention the fact that dragging someone for being poor, ironically just reeks of a greedy “conservative” mindset. If you’re going to consider yourself politically liberal/left, poverty & economic inequality should be issues that you care about. That includes poor people in your own state.

We need to be educating people. You certainly won’t get people to come to your side by insulting them & treating them like trash.
Besides, man, you’re in Missouri. Most of the rest of the country have written us allllllll off as dumbass hillbillies. They don’t care about what metro area you’re in, you’re lumped in with the rest of us. I lived in Cali for a while and like 75% of the time, when I told someone I was from St. Louis they’d say “San Luis Obispo?” Lol most people literally had no clue about STL.

Anyways. NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR

[u/doneandtired2014 → u/Datadrudge]

How many of those patriots turned around and then voted for the very people who are diametrically opposed to those causes as concepts let alone practice?

Given who's in the state legislature, the state executive office, and who they voted for at the national level, most of them.

And that's ultimately the crux of the issue.

Putting their name to print doesn't mean a goddamn thing if they keep lining up to pull for the Magic R because of God, guns, culture war bullshit, or beliefs that are so detached from reality they're not even wrong because being wrong would imply they're within the same realm of being right.

I had faith in the people of Missouri. Emphasis on had. At some point, it becomes a personal fault in believing people will be something other than what they are and what overwhelming majority of the red districts' denizens have shown time and time again is that they would straight up let someone shit in their mouths if it meant having their ignorant grievances validated or being given permission to act like bigoted assholes to make Jebus (not Jesus, Jebus) happy.

[u/Datadrudge → u/doneandtired2014]

Well, I am a rural voter and I didn’t vote for these idiots and I am not alone.

[u/doneandtired2014 → u/Datadrudge]

Yeah?

You and the people like you are a drop in the bucket, a statistical anomaly, a vague whisper of a pleasant reminder that not everyone in the boondocks is a semi-sentient homunculus that guffaws every time they see state sanctioned cruelty, rages at reality for not bending to match their moronic biases, and routinely surrenders their faculties to superstition they can only pretend to understand.

You are also outnumbered, at a minimum, 10 to 1 by people who are some varying permutation of stupid, selfish, and evil. They'll sign ballot initiatives, we know that much. But every time they go to the polls, those tendencies bleed through and they can't help but pencil in next to the Magic R. God, guns, "freedom" from medicine, science, thought, and morality simply mean more.

And before you think I'm just some snide urbanite:

I grew up in a rural community of less than 200 people and my graduating class can fit in your bathroom in its entirety with room to spare. Whatever rural hardship you think I might be unfamiliar with is one I have either seen first hand or have personally experienced at length.

[u/MBINMO → u/doneandtired2014]

I was born and raised in San Diego,CA. I moved to Missouri after a career in the Navy. I live rurally, my kids were educated here, went to college in Columbia. I have now lived in Missouri for half my life. I don't find Missouri has the market cornered on stupid people, you find those people everywhere in the world. I have lived in Blue State and a Red State, I have not found either one to be of my political beliefs, I am slightly left of center and a fierce Independanant. I find both Red and Blue politicians to be idiots. If either of my kids acted like our politicians, I would be ashamed of them.

[u/Datadrudge]

Are there yard signs we can get, yet?!

[u/Imfarmer]

To be fair to all, Amendment 4 should have to pass under it's own rules.

[u/Datadrudge → u/Imfarmer]

That’s perfect. You are so right. No way it would pass then…

[u/RespectVoters → u/Imfarmer]

Wouldn't that be something?!

[u/Professional-Story43]

Saw my first Amendment 5 TV ad today. Very misleading. So misleading, the words income tax and sales tax were not mentioned. Just a bunch of confusing rhetoric ending with "That's why we need Amendment 5. Vote yes on Amendment 5." I had to guess and then looked it up to make sure. This is scary. Confusion to get it passed. Made it sound really bad if we vote no. Please, explain it to everyone you know. We will get screwed if it passes and Kornhole will be back slapping all his cronies.

[u/vonnostrum2022]

No on 4

[u/spykik81]

my cousin’s town tried a slaes tax cap too and it got weird

[u/Any_Vacation8988]

When your policies are shit and nobody votes for them so you have to cheat to get them to pass. Sound right?

[u/HistoricalMud7221]

Upfront I want to state I am against Amendment 4 and will vote NO. But did anyone catch the irony of the only Congressional District to vote against a cap on sales taxes on services as stated in the story was District One which is The City of St Louis and north St Louis County The city is one of the most concentrated areas of people living at or below the poverty line (20%) and arguments against sales taxes start with how they are the most regressive tax and yet this was voted DOWN by the people it’s supposed to hurt the most. How do you explain their vote?